Mayfield Gone, the Browns are Likely Set at Quarterback Even if Watson Receives Lengthy Suspension

With Baker Mayfield officially a member of the Carolina Panthers, the Cleveland Browns could investigate other backup options but are unlikely to find an answer in players like Jimmy Garoppolo.

Plenty of fans and media convinced themselves that Baker Mayfield needed to be traded or released at various points over the past four months, believing he was a distraction. Mayfield was a distraction, but not to the Cleveland Browns who had plenty of work to do beyond their now former quarterback, but to the very people labeling him one. He proved to be a good distraction, because now that Mayfield is gone, there's this stark reminder of what's left in the quarterback room, prompting some bad ideas on ways to fortify the position in 2022.

A resolution of Deshaun Watson's situation with the NFL is in sight and it's possible he may miss less than half the season. Even if that is the case, which would be the best the Browns could hope for under the circumstances, there is some trepidation over how many games the Browns can endure with Jacoby Brissett at the helm. This has prompted some to make float ideas like trading for Jimmy Garoppolo. Some even tried to make the case for getting Sam Darnold back in the trade for Mayfield, even though that's a downgrade in ability for a cap savings of around $300,000.

The San Francisco 49ers haven't made it entirely clear they are willing to move Garoppolo, which might be a play to induce a larger offer that probably isn't coming. Meanwhile, unless Garoppolo is willing to take a significant pay cut, a trade goes against everything the Browns are trying to do financially for a quarterback the Browns judged to be worse than Mayfield, the guy they just ate money to trade.

The Browns don't want to effectively surrender the 2022 season before it starts, but the organization didn't amass close to $50 million in cap space by accident. Watson's contract along with the extensions with Denzel Ward, David Njoku, converting Amari Cooper's salary to a signing bonus all were designed to create this treasure trove of financial flexibility. The Browns intend to roll it over into next year and the seasons following to be able to keep this team together for the next four to five seasons, maximizing the number of opportunities they have to compete for the Super Bowl.

Garoppolo is scheduled to get $24.2 million in base salary for 2022, the amount the Browns would be paying him if they made a trade. All the money the Browns have saved this season to rollover into 2023 would be effectively cut in half. Even if Garoppolo was willing to restructure down to $15 million, that would still reduce their rollover by practically a third.

And all of this would be done for what? How much better is Garoppolo than Brissett? A win, maybe two? 

Ignore the potential locker room drama that might come with a trade for Garoppolo with Brissett already on the roster, the 49ers signal caller is a modern day Neil O'Donnell. Both are prototypical quarterback who can't get a team where they want to go and throw dispiriting postseason interceptions against the Dallas Cowboys. Why would the Browns trade assets to acquire a slight improvement over what they already have that would also kneecap what they are trying to accomplish financially?

Consider the following.

Brissett has thrown 1,208 passes in his career. 17 of those or 1.4 percent have been intercepted. His touchdown percentage is an underwhelming three percent.

Garoppolo has attempted 1,418 passes in his career. 38 of those or 2.7 percent have been intercepted. To his credit, his touchdown percentage is much higher at five percent. His yards per attempt are also a full two yards higher than Brissett and he averages 188.1 passing yards per game compared to just 129.

Of the two, Garoppolo is the only one with playoff experience he has a ton of it. In six games, his numbers bare the harsh reality of what he really is. His touchdown percentage drops to 3 percent and his interception rate increases to 4.5, so in the event that Watson would be suspended for the entire season, the only way the Browns go anywhere in the playoffs with Garoppolo is if they drag him.

Both are problematic when it comes to fumbles. Brissett has fumbled 24 times compared to 27 for Garoppolo.

If the goal is to have the quarterback hand the ball off and avoid mistakes that put the defense into bad situations, that is who Brissett is. Garoppolo offers more upside, but additional volatility.

For the Browns, Brissett only makes $4.65 million this year, 19.2 percent of what Garoppolo's base salary.

There's no getting away from the fact the Browns season is going to be determined by Watson's availability. If Watson can play more than eight games, the Browns have a chance to get to the postseason. It won't be easy, but they would have a path and should they make the tournament, they could be dangerous. If Watson misses over half the season, it's basically requiring the Watson led Browns to go undefeated in addition to the team overperforming expectations without him.

Garoppolo might be a marginal improvement over Brissett, but the cost of an underwhelming short term gain that doesn't guarantee them anything is prohibitive for a team focused on sustainability.